$50 Million Donation to Transform Toronto East General Hospital

A $50 million donation will see Toronto East General Hospital renamed the Michael Garron Hospital (MGH) following the large-scale renovation project ongoing at the site. As the largest donation to a community health hospital in Canadian history, Myron and Berna Garron's gift will facilitate the creation of vastly improved facilities, helping the hospital secure cutting-edge technologies and attract leading researchers.

The hospital exterior in June of 2015, image by UrbanToronto Flickr pool contributor BruceK

The hospital will be renamed in honour of the Garron's son Michael, who was born there in 1962. Diagnosed with a rare form of soft tissue cancer at the age of 6, Michael's life was tragically cut short at the age of 13. Before he died, Berna and Myron promised Michael that his life would not be forgotten, and have previously dedicated $30 million in Michael's name to SickKids, in addition to smaller donations to Toronto East General.

A rendering of the expanded hospital, image courtesy of TEGH

With the hospital already on the precipice of a transformative renovation, the $50M donation will—according to the hospital's website—contribute to creating a "the premier teaching health network in the country and a coordinated system of care for the people of East Toronto."

Michael Garron celebrates Christmas, image courtesy of TEGH

The donation serves to honour not only Michael's memory, but also the east Toronto community as a whole, with the Garron family having spent decades in the neighbourhood. In the past, the Garron family's financial support of the hospital helped fund the purchase of the Da Vinci Surgical Systems Robot, which has allowed many complex surgeries to be performed in a minimally invasive way.

*

UrbanToronto previously published an article highlighting the hospital's renovation plans—which include the construction of a new patient care tower—earlier this year. While the renovation plans are still in their relatively early stages, information about the renovation—including renderings—is available on our dataBase file.

Want to share your thoughts about the Garron family donation or the hospital's renovation plans? Leave a comment at the bottom of this page, or join in the discussion on our Forum.